Ball track junction



April 17, 1962 J. ALBRECHT BALL TRACK JUNCTION Filed Oct. 29, 1959 JNVENTOR.

BY fl- /LL Patented Apr. 17, 1962 3,030,110 BALL TRACK JUNCTION Alexander .1. Albrecht, West Englewood, NJ, assignor to The Brunswick Automatic Pinsetter Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 29, 1959, Ser. No. 849,660 Claims. (Cl. 273-47) This invention relates to a bowling ball track device and more particularly to a ball track junction merging a pair of ball tracks into a single return track without simultaneous arrival of two balls at the return track.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved bowling ball track structure.

Another object of this invention is toprovide a bowling ball track structure including a pair of ball tracks leading one from each of a pair of bowling alleys, a return track and a ball track junction intermediate the pair of ball tracks and the return track for merging two distinct ball paths into one, said junction being constructed to prevent the simultaneous arrival of two balls at the return track and to provide for one ball having preference over the other with the separating action merely utilizing gravity and not requiring any moving parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure as defined in the preceding paragraph in which said track junction includes a pair of longitudinally inclined straight track sections having an acute converging angle to each other of approximately a few degrees wherein central impact between a pair of balls will result in a delicate equilibrium condition which may be upset by numerous influences to permit one ball to advance ahead of the other.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bowling ball track device with a fragmentary showing of alley bed and gutter structure and with a pair of bowling balls shown in a successive series of positions;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the ball track structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 55 in FIG. 1.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many diiferent forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail an embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an excmplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and the ball track structure is located beneath a pair of bowling alley beds and 11 with a pair of downwardly sloped ball tracks 12 and 13 leading one from each of the alleys 10 and 11, respectively. The ball tracks 12 and 13 are arranged to receive a ball from a ball return device such as that disclosed in the application of Alexander J. Albrecht, Serial No. 768,098 or the application of Alexander 5. A1- brecht and Frank E. Riedl, Serial No. 781,370, now Patout No. 2,979,333, but in any event, receives the ball at a level beneath the alley bed of a bowling alley. The ball tracks 12 and 13 are banked and curved at areas 14 and 15 whereby the paths of a ball on each track approach each other.

The ball track structure also includes a return track 20 spaced from the ball tracks 12 and 13 which continues on to the players end of the alley. As shown, the ball tracks 12 and 13 comprises a pair of rails 21 and 22 for the track 12 and rails 23 and 24 for the track 13 with the rails 22 and 24 continuing on as parts of the return track 20.

A ball track junction, indicated generally at 25, is located between the ball tracks 12 and 13 and the return track 20 and comprises a pair of track sections 26 and 27 having the rails 22 and 24, respectively, and continuations of the rails 21 and 23.

The entire track structure is supported from an alley floor 28 by suitable brackets 29, 3d and 31 at each side of the structure and at the ends thereof.

The track sections 26 and 27 of the junction are each inclined downwardly toward the right as viewed in FIG. 2 and longitudinally of the length thereof. This is the angle of inclination with the angle being indicated at 32 in FIG. 2.

The track sections 26 and 27 also converge toward each other at an acute ball converging angle indicated generally at 33 in FIG. 1.

The track sections 26 and 27 extend between the entry a and exit b and at their entry end a ball extends laterally beyond the rails. The track sections 26 and 7 are spaced apart from each other at entry a a distance whereby a pair of balls simultaneously arriving on the track sections will not contact each other until the balls are travelling in converging paths as determined by the ball converging angle 33.

Normally a bowling ball 40 will be discharged from an alley at a time difierent from a ball discharged from the adjacent alley. However, the structure disclosed herein provides for handling simultaneous entry of two bails 4% into the track junction 25. This condition is progressively indicated in FIG. 1 in which the bowling balls 40 and 40a on the two track sections are shown upon central impact (FIG. 3) in which the mass centers j and g of the two balls 4d) are located on a line which is a common line normal to the respective colliding surfaces of the two balls at the point of contact j.

In PEG. 4 the two balls 40 and 40a are shown immediately after central impact in which both balls have been moved out of contact with the inner rails 23 and 21 of their respective track sections as they continue to roll down the inclination having the angle 32. This precarious state can only be maintained if the contact point 1 between each of the balls 40 and 10a and the ball contact points It and i with the respective track rails 2-4 and 22 and the mass centers 1 and g of the balls remain coplanar.

The ball track junction 25 thus sets up a rather delicate equilibrium condition to allow numerous influences to readily upset this condition so that one ball may proceed the other onto the return track 22. These influences are one or more of the following: Non-uniform surface contact conditions between the balls and their respective tracks; slightly ditterent ball masses and/or ball sizes; existence of relative slipping between the balls rather than pure rolling action; lack of homogeneity in ball materials; irregularities in the shape of the ball tracks; any upsetting or vibratory action inherent in each ball rolling along its respective track; or, in general, any deviation from pure rolling conditions.

Hence any combinationiof these conditions acts to momentarily retard one ball with respect to the other thereby allowing the other ball to pass through the junction into the return track 22 as shown in FIG. 5 with the ball 40:2 advancing ahead of the ball 40.

It will thus be seen that a preferential separating method is provided in which the only force is that of gravity and no moving parts are required.

3,03%,lld

The angle of inclination 32 and the ball converging angle 33 are important factors in obtaining the equilibrium condition referred to and there are certain broad limitations as to the angle of inclination 32 and the ball converging angle 33 with the angles being interrelated. It has been found that the angle of inclination 32 should be in excess of one degree to thereby provide sufficient ball momentum to provide the separating action while the ball converging angle 33 is generally of a few degrees. It will be seen that the ball converging angle 33 is sulficiently small whereby the force component of momentum of each ball in a direction toward the other track section is of a small magnitude compared to the other force component of momentum generally in the direction of ball travel which results in enabling the balls to come into contact with each other and to be raised slightly in FIG. 4 without causing one ball or the other to jump from the track junction 25.

As shown in FIG. 1 it will be seen that the balls come into contact with each other at a location intermediate the ends of the ball junction 25 and that the length of the track sections is a number of times greater than the diameter of a ball and with the length of the track sections between the point j of ball contact and the point of merger immediately preceding the return track 22 is also several times the ball diameter.

I claim:

1. A ball track junction for merging a pair of ball tracks into a single return track comprising, a pair of straight track sections having a downward slope of a degree or more associated one with each of the ball tracks and extending alongside each other, said track sections each formed of a pair of rails having a width less than the diameter of a ball whereby a ball extends beyond the sides thereof and at the ball entry ends thereof being spaced apart a distance sufiicient to prevent engagement between balls on the respective track sections, said track sections gradually converging toward each other at an angle of a few degrees whereby a ball rolling on a track section has a force component of momentum in a. direction toward the other track section of a small magnitude compared to the other force component of momentum generally in the direction of ball travel, said tracks merging together where they join the single return track, whereby a ball on each of the track sections may come into contact with each other at a location intermediate the ends of the track sections and one ball caused to take preference over the other, the length of said track sections between the intermediate location and the point of merger being several times the diameter of a ball.

2. A bowling ball track device including a pair of ball tracks leading one from each of apair of bowling alleys, a return track and a ball track junction intermediate the ball tracks and return track for merger of two distinct ball paths into one, said track junction including a pair of straight track sections having a downward slope of a degree or more meeting at a converging angle to each other of a relatively few degrees whereby a ball rolling on a track section has a force component of momentum in a direction toward the other track section of a small magnitude compared to the other force component of momentum generally in the direction of ball travel, and said track sections having a length equal to several times the diameter of a ball. I

3. A ball track junction: for merging a pair of ball tracks having a downward slope of a degree or more into a single return track comprising, a pair of track sections associated one with each of the ball tracks and extending alongside each other, said track sections each having a width less than the diameter of a ball whereby a ball extends beyond the sides thereof and at the ball entry ends thereof being spaced apart a distance sutficiently to prevent engagement between balls on the respective track sections, said track sections gradually converging toward each other at a small angle whereby a ball rolling on a track section has a force component of momentum in a direction toward the other track section of a small magnitude compared to the other force component of momenturn generally in the direction of ball travel, said tracks merging together where they join the single return track, whereby a pair of balls one on each of the track sections may come into contact with each other at a location intermediate the ends of the track sections.

4. A bowling ball track device including a pair of ball tracks leading one from each of a pair of bowling alleys, a return track and a ball track junction intermediate the ball tracks and return track for merger of two distinct ball paths into one, said track junction including a pair of track sections having a downward slope of a degree or more spaced from each other at their entry end a distance suflicient to prevent engagement between balls on the two track sections and at a converging angle to each other of a relatively few degrees whereby a ball rolling on a track section has, a force component of momentum in a direction toward the other track section of a small magnitude compared to the other force component of momentum generally in the direction of ball travel, said track sections having a length equal to several times the diameter of a ball.

5. A bowling ball track junction in which a pair of straight-line track sections having a downward slope of a degree or more gradually converge toward each other and merge into a single return track, said track sections having an acute converging angle of approximately a few degrees whereby a ball on a track section has a force component of momentum in the direction of the other track section of a small magnitude compared to the other force component of momentum generally in the direction of ball travel.

References Citeritin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,600,918 Pohl June 17, 1952 2,788,972 Turner Apr. 16, 1957 2,817,530 Black et al. Dec. 24, 1957 Luna. 

